Abstract
Health care organizations typically have a hierarchical structure, with physicians dominant and nurses subordinate. The challenge to open and honest communication between doctors and nurses is real, and communication errors contribute significantly to undesirable patient outcomes. Nurse executives (NEs) have a responsibility to help lead transformation of health care organizations to support nurses to speak up and communicate all critical information.
NEs are challenged to improve safety and quality, decrease costs and increase access to care. Combining health care expertise with business ability can support these goals. Rooke and Torbert found correlations between successful business leaders and postconventional actionlogics, or world-views. Action-logics can be developed to make leaders increasingly effective.
TheMagnet Recognition Program recognizes health care organizations that have achieved high quality care and excellence in nursing practice. The purpose of this study was to determine what action-logics the NEs demonstrate who have led their organizations to Magnet designation or re-designation in the Veterans Healthcare Administration. The study also sought to determine what actions NEs took to support nurses speaking up about their concerns, the barriers that impede those efforts, and the sources of influence these NEs implemented to support nurses speaking up. This exploratory study used a mixed methods design and each participant completed the Maturity Assessment Instrument (MAP) and an interview.
The study demonstrated, in contrast with other business leaders, that conventional actionlogic was sufficient for the NE to bring an organization to Magnet status. However, the study found specific limitations those possessing conventional action-logic have to support speaking up, and that those possessing postconventional action-logic have transcended these limitations. This strength of the postconventional action-logic is very important to support speaking up in health care. The use of multiple sources of behavioral influence byMagnet NEs was confirmed, as was the existence of a culture of organizational silence. Multiple speaking up behaviors were required to address every single barrier encountered to speaking up, and strong emotion routinely accompanied speaking up. The absence of sources of behavioral influence in an organization was determined to be a barrier to speaking up.
Sigma Membership
Zeta Delta at-Large
Type
Dissertation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Mixed/Multi Method Research
Keywords:
Developmental Psychology, Leadership Development, Behavorial Influences
Advisors
Nero, Susan,Davis, Kay,Rhodes, Kent
Degree
Doctoral-Other
Degree Grantor
Pepperdine University
Degree Year
2015
Recommended Citation
Pierce, Bonnie R., "Action-logics of veterans health administration magnet nurse executives and their practice of supporting nurses to speak up" (2023). Dissertations. 179.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/dissertations/179
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Review Type
None: Degree-based Submission
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2023-03-02
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Description
This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 3741600; ProQuest document ID: 1752116799. The author still retains copyright.